Regis Philbin

Few men have had more to say over the last 50 years than Regis Philbin. Just ask the good folks at the Guinness Book of Records. Representatives from the publication recently confirmed that Philbin has spent over 16,300 hours on air, easily surpassing the previous record held by fellow broadcaster Hugh Downs. Although most of that time has been spent helming his eponymous morning talk show on ABC, “Reege” has also hosted thought-provoking round table discussions, lighthearted Disney parades, glitzy pageants, breezy late-night programs, and a string of popular game shows including Neighbors, Million Dollar Password and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. In fact, the only thing he hasn’t hosted is his own wake, but something tells us he’ll be up for that particular task when the time comes.

Appeal

Anyone who has witnessed Regis Philbin’s flabby, freckled physique on the beach knows that this 78-year-old New Yorker is 30 years and 35 pounds removed from being a legitimate sex symbol. Luckily for him, the vast majority of his female viewers could care less. They continue to tune into Live with Regis and Kelly every morning to enjoy Philbin’s affable nature and off-the-cuff anecdotes rather than his musculature. Granted, many of those viewers are 80-year-old shut-ins surrounded by towering stacks of old newspapers, but there’s no disputing the loyalty and genuine affection they feel for this showbiz legend.

Philbin has also experienced plenty of affection at home for the past four decades thanks to his doting wife -- and occasional cohost -- Joy. The couple have been going strong since tying the knot on March 1, 1970.

Success

With all due respect to James Brown, Regis Philbin may just be the hardest working man in showbiz. Since breaking into the industry in the mid 1950s, this small screen icon has appeared in close to 200 television programs including multiple award-winning hits like Live with Regis and Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His excitable manner and trademark delivery have also made him a popular guest on top-rated sitcoms like Seinfeld, Mad About You, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and How I Met Your Mother.

Along the way, Philbin’s commendable body of work has been honored with three Daytime Emmy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. As if that weren’t enough, this prolific polymath has also written two bestselling autobiographies entitled I'm Only One Man! and Who Wants To Be Me? and he’s recorded four well-received musical albums including It's Time For Regis!, When You're Smiling, The Regis Philbin Christmas Album, and My Darker Moods. Just listing his accomplishments makes us want to take a nap so we can only imagine how exhausted Philbin must feel.

Regis Philbin Biography

Growing up in the Bronx, Regis Philbin never dreamed of becoming a major media mogul. In fact, he didn’t even begin to consider a career in entertainment until the mid-1950s when he landed a job as a page on The Tonight Show following a brief stint in the U.S. Navy. The program’s talented cast made quite an impression on Philbin and he moved to Los Angeles one year later with aspirations of becoming an on-air personality himself.

regis philbin lands his very first show

After several months spent delivering film and working as a stagehand, Regis Philbin finally got his first big break in 1955 when L.A.’s KCOP-TV hired him as a news writer and producer. He later parlayed that position into a full-time gig as the station’s resident sports reporter, covering games and athletic events all throughout southern California. Philbin’s loose, improvisational style appealed greatly to viewers and he was given his very own program on WKGTV in San Diego in 1961. The Regis Philbin Show, as it became known, was a low budget 90-minute variety program featuring music and celebrity interviews. Although short-lived, the show allowed Philbin to develop the signature conversational style that he would use throughout the rest of his career.

Philbin later graduated to national programming in 1967 when he first began appearing as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show, an entertaining chat-fest starring the Rat Pack’s resident comedian. The ambitious 90-minute program stayed on the air for two seasons, during which time it ran five nights a week, from Monday to Friday.

regis philbin branches out

Regis Philbin spent the early part of the 1970s hosting a variety of short-lived shows including Philbin’s People, a roundtable discussion featuring celebrities and politicians and Regis Philbin’s Saturday Night in St. Louis, a late night CBS variety show that went head-to-head in the ratings with Saturday Night Live. He also made his first of many light-hearted film appearances with an entertaining cameo in Woody Allen’s Every Thing You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask.

regis philbin hosts a.m. los angeles

Regis Philbin finally found a more permanent job in 1975 when he was hired to cohost A.M. Los Angeles, an early morning talk show on KABC-TV. His electric presence proved to be the perfect remedy for the ailing program and within a matter of months it became the top-rated show in L.A. Philbin remained on the program until 1983, during which time he also hosted the informative cable show Regis Philbin’s Health Styles and Neighbors, a short-lived game show in which real-life neighbors were encouraged to share gossip in exchange for valuable prizes.

regis philbin hosts the morning show

Philbin moved back home to New York in 1983 to cohost The Morning Show on WABC-TV. His very presence attracted thousands of new viewers and turned the program into an overnight hit. The Morning Show enjoyed another tremendous surge in popularity in 1985 when producers paired Philbin with Kathie Lee Gifford, a perky young blonde whose previous credits included stints on Hee Haw Honeys and the game show Name That Tune. Their sparkling chemistry was undeniable and together they helped the show achieve national syndication three years later in 1988. Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, as the show was later named, received 18 Emmy nominations over the next 15 years, including six Outstanding Talk Show Host nominations for Philbin and Gifford. It also managed to attract 18 million daily viewers at its peak.

Sadly, Gifford left the show in 2000 following an endless barrage of media attacks related to her husband’s infidelity and damning accusations that her personal clothing line was produced in international sweatshops.

regis philbin hosts who wants to be a millionaire

Gifford’s absence was made easier by the remarkable success of Regis Philbin’s newest show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a slickly produced trivia competition that put his charm and quick wit to excellent use. A mainstay on ABC from 1998-2002, the hour-long program reinvigorated the entire network by attracting 30 million viewers a day three times a week. It also earned Philbin his first Daytime Emmy award in 2001 for Outstanding Game Show Host.

regis philbin joins forces with kelly ripa

Just as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was drawing to a close, Regis Philbin found a new permanent cohost in the form of Kelly Ripa, a bubbly blonde best known for playing Hayley Vaughan Santos on All My Children. Younger and far less grating than Gifford, Ripa helped infuse the program with a playfulness that was previously lacking. Live with Regis and Kelly, as the show has become known, has since been nominated for an astounding 27 Emmy Awards, including seven Outstanding Talk Show Host nominations for Philbin and Ripa.

the beat goes on

Never one to rest on his laurels, Regis Philbin has continued to juggle multiple gigs over the past half decade. Since 2006 he has hosted the inaugural season of America’s Got Talent, two seasons of Million Dollar Password and a special 10th anniversary edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His contract with ABC is set to expire at the end of 2011.